Sentence-Semantics-2-Participants.ppt

Chapter6,SentenceSemantics2:Participants,Introductionotherswillbemoremarginal.SimilarvariationwouldholdforPATIENTs.,TheseproposalsbyDowtyallowflexibilityindefiningthematicrole.Oneresultofhisclassificationisthatthetraditionalrole-typesfalloutasmore-or-lessprototypicalversionsofthetwomaincategories.Forexample,Maggieprunedtheroses.(volition,sentience,causationandmovement)Joanfelttheheatastheaircraftdooropened.(sentience,novolitionorcausation)Thescalpelcutthroughthemuscle.(causationandmovement,butnotvolitionorsentience),6.6TheMotivationforIdentifyingThematicRoles,Fromourdiscussionsofaritisclearthatlinguistsemploythematicrolestodescribeaspectsoftheinterfacebetweensemanticsandsyntax.Oneoftheprimaryfunctionsofthematicrolesispredictingthelinkagebetweentheparticipantrolesandthegrammaticalrelations.InDowtysprototypeandentailmentsapproach,thislinkageisdescribedbyanargumentselectionprinciple.ArgumentSelectionPrinciple:theargumenthavingthegreatestnumberofProto-Agentproperties-thesubjecttheargumenthavingthegreatestnumberofProto-Patientproperties-thedirectobject,a.CaptainNemosanktheshipwithatorpedo.,b.Thetorpedosanktheship.,C.Theshipsank.,CaptainNemo-volition,sentience,causation,movementThetorpedo-causation,movementTheship-movement,Dowtysversionofasubjecthierarchy,Agent,Patient,Instrument,Experiencer,Goal,Source,Asecondjustification:tohelpcharacterizesemanticverbalclass.,Eg.twoclassesofpsychologicalverbstakingtwoarguments:EXPERIENCER&STIMULUS,Psychologicalverbstype1:Theta-grid:VVerbs:admire,enjoy,fear,like,love,relish,Psychologicalverbstype2:Theta-grid:VVerbs:amuse,entertain,frighten,please,Claudelikedtheresult.,TheresultpleasedClaude.,Suchclassificationsofverbshelppredictthegrammaticalprocessesindividualverbswillundergo.Eg.passiveThewholecommunitywillbenefitfromthepeaceprocess.V:b.Thepeaceprocesswillbenefitthewholecommunity.V:,Wecanlookatonefurthertypeofjustificationforthematicroleswhichcomesfromanotherareaofgrammar:theclaimthatinsomelanguagestheyplayaroleinthemorphologyofverbalagreement.,6.7.1PassiveVoice,DefinitionThepassivevoiceisagrammaticalconstructionThenounornounphrasethatwouldbetheobjectofanactivesentence(suchasOurtroopsdefeatedtheenemy)appearsasthesubjectofasentencewithpassivevoice.(e.g.Theenemywasdefeatedbyourtroops).EffectsProcess,Todescribeasituationfromdifferentperspective,AnncleanedthehouseThehousewascleanedbyAnn,Agent:AnnPatient:House,Foregroundingofotherrolesofasentenceratherthanpatient,a.ThemeThismoneywasdonatedtotheschoolb.PerceptThevoicewasheardhundredsofmilesawayc.RecipientJoewasgivenaapplebyhersister,Showspeakersempathywiththepatientratherthanagent,Thehousewascleaned,BackgroundingofAgentorDemotingofAgent,ForegroundingofPatientorPromotingofPatient,Syntacticstrategy:psedudo-cleftandcleftWhatJoanboughtwasacarItwasJoanwhoboughtthecar,Lexicalstrategy:alterationonthelexicalrelationa.Theschoollocatedinfrontofthehotelb.Thehotelstoodbehindtheschool,Twoimportantfactorsofprocessofpassiveconstructions,GrammaticalfactorsThetypicalpatternisthatnominaloccupyingobjectpositionisfrontedtosubjectinpassives.DiscoursefactorsThediscofactorsaffectingpassiveshavebeendescribedinanumberofframeworks,suchasspeakerempathy,6.7.2Comparisonofpassiveconstructionsacrosslanguage,Languagesoftenhavemorethanonepassiveconstruction:inEnglishforexample,itispossibletodistinguishbetweenbe-passivesandget-passives,suchasa.Jackwascaughtbythepoliceb.JackgotcaughtbythepoliceOtherlanguageshaveaspecialtypeofpassive,thatsimpersonalpassive.Impersonalpassivevoiceisaverbvoicethatdecreasesthevalencyofanintransitiveverb(whichhasvalencyone)tozero.Itdoesnotallowtheagenttobementionedinthesentence.ImpersonalpassiveshavebeenreportedinmanylanguagessuchasGerman,Welsh,Latinandsoon.,Germanhasanimpersonalpassivevoice,asshownintheexamplesbelow:ActiveVoice:DieKinderschlafen.Thechildrensleep.“ImpersonalPassiveVoice:Eswirdgeschlafen.Itisslept.Someoneissleeping.“Inthelatterexample,thesubject(DieKinder,thechildren)hasbeendeleted,andinitsplaceisthedummyesit.,TheimpersonalpassiveshastwosamefunctionswithEnglishpassivementionedabove:a.ThedemotionofAgentsb.Thepromotionofnon-agents,6.7.3Middlevoice,DefinitionAsetofinflectionsorconstructionswhichistosomeextentdifferentfromboththeactiveandpassivevoices.Itissaidtobeinthemiddlebetweentheactiveandthepassivevoicesbecausethesubjectoftencannotbecategorizedaseitheragent